Lias had 5 SOG and 2 goals including that shorty in an equal amount of time

Chytil had a goal in 4 shots through 3 games.

Howdy can go down now.... I can see him heating up and swapping out for Chytil or Andersson if they go cold through the season. He'll be in the mix.

Howden
Nieves
Fontaine
Fogarty

Is pretty solid center depth for Hartford

Howden will start in Hartford, as predicted. The question mark going into camp was, how out of place would he look on an NHL team. I thought he had a great camp, and he showed after a shaky first game, that he's not at all out of place. But 70+ games in Hartford would serve him well. It's rare that a player jumps right from WHL to NHL. I bet we see him for a cup of coffee during the season.

Lettieri should 100% have a spot on opening night. He's earned it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Deangelo will start on the roster but it wouldn't surprise me if they look to move him. He still has some value, offensively gifted, RHD, young, cheap contract. My guess is he's gone by Thanksgiving.

Smith looks like he will play well this year. However, both he and Staal have to be gone by the deadline. No buyouts either. Trade and retain salary if you have to. Hajek clearly is NHL ready. Howden I agree, could use 55+ games at the AHL level. I'd like to see Lindgren brought up at the deadline. I really question if Gorton has a plan for the defense. He drafts Miller. Let's say he's 3 years away. He signed Skjei to a 6 year deal. That tells me he doesn't figure in Lindgren long term with the organization. I think he's the type of gritty guy our defense has been missing for a while. Skjei, Miller, Hajek, Lindgren, Rykov. Doesn't add up at all on the left side. You would think at some point there has to be a draft day deal where he packages Lindgren or Rykov and perhaps another prospect to move up 2-3 slots in the first for a player they have targeted. Lettieri looked like garbage last year in his NHL time. A good example why not to write off a player too quickly. Looks totally different this year.

Lias had 5 SOG and 2 goals including that shorty in an equal amount of time

Chytil had a goal in 4 shots through 3 games.

Howdy can go down now.... I can see him heating up and swapping out for Chytil or Andersson if they go cold through the season. He'll be in the mix.

Howden
Nieves
Fontaine
Fogarty

Is pretty solid center depth for Hartford

Howden will start in Hartford, as predicted. The question mark going into camp was, how out of place would he look on an NHL team. I thought he had a great camp, and he showed after a shaky first game, that he's not at all out of place. But 70+ games in Hartford would serve him well. It's rare that a player jumps right from WHL to NHL. I bet we see him for a cup of coffee during the season.

Lettieri should 100% have a spot on opening night. He's earned it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Deangelo will start on the roster but it wouldn't surprise me if they look to move him. He still has some value, offensively gifted, RHD, young, cheap contract. My guess is he's gone by Thanksgiving.

Smith looks like he will play well this year. However, both he and Staal have to be gone by the deadline. No buyouts either. Trade and retain salary if you have to. Hajek clearly is NHL ready. Howden I agree, could use 55+ games at the AHL level. I'd like to see Lindgren brought up at the deadline. I really question if Gorton has a plan for the defense. He drafts Miller. Let's say he's 3 years away. He signed Skjei to a 6 year deal. That tells me he doesn't figure in Lindgren long term with the organization. I think he's the type of gritty guy our defense has been missing for a while. Skjei, Miller, Hajek, Lindgren, Rykov. Doesn't add up at all on the left side. You would think at some point there has to be a draft day deal where he packages Lindgren or Rykov and perhaps another prospect to move up 2-3 slots in the first for a player they have targeted. Lettieri looked like garbage last year in his NHL time. A good example why not to write off a player too quickly. Looks totally different this year.

You're better off having more options to choose from, than banking on a particular player progressing at an even rate. History is littered with very good prospects who never met their potential. There's no guarantee at this stage that Skjei makes it to the end of his contract, let alone Lindgren, Miller, Hajek or Rykov having long NHL careers. The best you can say is that there's some opportunity here for some of these players to pan out, but likely some of them won't. The hope is that more work out than don't, which then gives you options.